Thursday, November 17, 2016

Moisturize the Melbourne Way w/Mettā

I love "discovering natural beauty around the world" with Pearlesque Box. Previous boxes have brought me products from here in the U.S.A. (Rhode Island to be exact) and from nearby Toronto, Canada, as well as global beauty. I'm extra excited about this month's destination, which is the home of some of my favorite brands (I just adore Nudus lipstick, and I'm counting the days until Moana Bikini releases its latest collection).

Of course, I'm referring to Australia, where you'll also find Mettā Skincare. According to the information card, Mettā Skincare was created by Anca Grigoras "to help people make healthy decisions about their skincare routine. Anca developed the range following extensive research into safe ingredients, experimenting with oils traditionally used for nourishing the skin and studying under the guidance of world leading natural and holistic skincare formulators." The resulting product line includes four balms and a body oil; I can't believe that all four fabulous balms are featured in this month's box.

Although Australia is currently experiencing a warmer season, these highly moisturizing, hand-made in small batches, cruelty-free, vegan balms couldn't have come at a better time. The cold weather here has already been harsh on my skin, mainly my hands, so this Mettā Skincare Comforting Hand Balm was just what I needed. This combination of olive oil, shea butter, candelilla wax, lavender essential oil, non-GMO vitamin E, calendula extract, linalool, geraniol and limonene soothes my dry hands and heals the little cuts and cracks that have appeared on my delicate fingers. It also works well on nails, cuticles and feet, and the natural scent is very relaxing.

When it comes to moisturizing the rest of my body, I've enjoyed testing out this mini-size Mettā Skincare Lavender Body Butter (ingredients include shea butter, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil and lavender essential oil). It's a rich butter that arrived in an extremely solid state due to the cold, but softens in warmer conditions. In its more solid state, it can be a bit difficult to rub onto a cold body, but when applied right after a shower, this fluffy white goodness literally melts like butter into your warm, damp skin and seals in moisture. It's like a protective coat for my body.

Although the previous two products have been effective on my skin, I would hesitate to use them on my face. Instead, I was happy to find this Mettā Skincare Intensive Replenishing Face Balm, which contains shea butter, jojoba oil, macadamia oil, candelilla wax, pomegranate seed oil, red raspberry seed oil, seabuckthorn oil, non-GMO vitamin E, lavender essential oil, rosemary leaf extract, linalool, geraniol and limonene. It's not quite as dense as the hand and body balms, yet still gets the job done. I just rub a little bit between my fingertips and lightly dab it onto my face, focusing on the spots that are dry and/or more prone to wrinkles. I prefer to use it at night and wake up with a healthy glow.

Day and night, my lips have been treated lately to this Mettā Skincare Coconut Lip Balm. It keeps my lips soft and smooth with a combination of avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, castor oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, candelilla wax, non-GMO vitamin E and coconut extract. I've been using it before I apply my lipstick, but it's also nice as a gloss on top. Apparently, you can use it on your cuticles, too. 

Gotta love all these multi-purpose products in their cute reusable glass jars with 100% tree-free Stone-Paper labels (an earth-friendly, energy-efficient and acid-free paper, which is photodegradable and can be recycled into either paper or plastic channels).

Curious about the name? According to their website, "Mettā is an ancient style of meditation that encourages loving-kindness with yourself and the world around you. Regular practice fosters a sense of belonging, a pure connection with other living beings and a compassionate understanding of the interconnected world ... Mettā Skincare shares much with this style of meditation. We wish to help reconnect your daily skincare routine to nature through a practice of loving-kindness for your skin."

You can give your skin the gift of love and kindness by subscribing to Pearlesque Box. Use the code: RAW15 for 15% off your first box. If you are looking for a gift idea, there's also an Exclusive Holiday Gift Box (one-time purchase) available, as well as electronic gift cards.

Are you a Pearlesque Box subscriber? Have you purchased the Exclusive Holiday Gift Box? Let me know your thoughts on Twitter at @Rawdorable and/or Instagram (also @Rawdorable).

Pearlesque Box sent me these Mettā Skincare products
for review. All opinions are my own :)

Monday, November 7, 2016

Welcoming Amaki's addition w/a happy face

I am so pleased to introduce you to Amaki's latest product addition. It's this Japanese Tsubaki Anti-Aging Face Oil that happened to show up on my doorstep recently. I'll admit that this baby arrived unexpectedly, but boy am I happy it did (on a side note, the beautiful background in the above photo is Emily Schuman's bathroom from her "Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home" book; it's so lovely, like this facial oil).

You may recall me raving about Amaki's luxurious, yet affordable, beauty products in some of my past posts. Founded by a certified esthetician, Amaki is a family-owned and -operated company that makes all-natural, cruelty-free, organic skincare products from ingredients sourced exclusively in the U.S.A. and without harmful chemicals, preservatives, synthetic fillers, parabens and petroleum by-products commonly found in commercial skin care products. I just adore Amaki's Jasmine & Rose Nourishing Oil and Flowers & Salts Bath Soak that both contain actual flowers.

Oh, and don't forget about the Amaki 100% Pure & Natural Rose Water. It smells so fresh and floral, and can be used from head to toe.

Amaki's latest product is meant for your face, but I've also used it on the ends of my hair and to moisturize my hands after applying it to my face (honestly, I don't want to waste it). According to the website, this "Japanese Tsubaki Anti-Aging Face Oil hydrates and nourishes, packed with oleic acid to seal in moisture and leave your skin looking and feeling smoother. This botanical blend gives the skin-brightening effects of Vitamin A as well as Vitamins B, D and E for a radiant complexion. Its enriching antioxidants ward off damaging free radicals, fortifying the skin against visible signs of aging."

As you may have noticed, each ingredient in this beauty oil serves a purpose, such as the antioxidant- and omega-rich Tsubaki (Camellia) oil. There aren't any added fragrances, so this combination of oils smells only like the ingredients inside its simple, sleek and sophisticated glass bottle. It's light, yet effective. It absorbs into my skin, keeping it soft, supple, hydrated and clear at the same time. Although I prefer to use this facial oil at bedtime (I love how my skin looks when I wake the next morning), I've also had good results wearing it under my makeup during the day.

Oh, and did I mention the price? First of all, $25 is reasonable, but for a limited time, the introductory is only $15 with free shipping (no code needed). I don't know how long that's going to last, so you may want to take advantage of the discount now. Let me know if you do. As always, you can find me on Twitter at @Rawdorable and/or Instagram (also @Rawdorable).

* Although I was sent this Amaki Japanese Tsubaki Anti-Aging Face Oil
for review, all opinions are my own :)